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Council on Women and Girls Blog

  • STEM into the Future: A Roundtable Discussion with NASA's Saralyn Mark

    Posted by Avra Siegel on September 30, 2011 at 1:50 PM EDT

    The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and Council on Women and Girls launched "Women in STEM Speakers Bureau," where top Administration female STEM specialists participate in roundtables with girls in grades 6-12 across the country. This week, NASA's Saralyn Mark met with students from School for Green Careers.

    Senior Medical Advisor in the Office of the Chief Health and Medical Officer at NASA Saralyn Mark reflects on meeting female students at a STEM Roundtable at Barnard College and the future role of  women in STEM careers:

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  • Helping Women Reach their Economic Potential

    Posted by Avra Siegel on September 27, 2011 at 1:49 PM EDT

    This op-ed from Advisors Valerie Jarrett and Tina Tchen was first published in the Washington Post.

    The American Jobs Act, which President Obama sent to Congress two weeks ago, is vital for our country’s women. It would keep 280,000 teachers — most of them women — from losing their jobs due to budget cuts. It would put hundreds of thousands of unemployed women back to work. It would put more money in the pockets of almost 80 million working women, by cutting their payroll taxes next year. As the president has said, Congress has a responsibility to pass this bill.

    However, even as we wait for Congress to act, the Obama administration is taking steps to create economic opportunities for women and girls.

    On Monday, for example, the National Science Foundation (NSF) will announce new steps to make it easier for women to pursue careers in engineering and the sciences — fields that are critical to our nation’s economic growth.

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  • Council on Women and Girls Highlights

    Posted by Avra Siegel on September 23, 2011 at 4:49 PM EDT

    Welcome to the Council on Women and Girls Weekly Highlights! If you have friends or family who would like to support the efforts of the Council on Women and Girls, please visit our website and share this link with others on Facebook and Twitter.

    President Obama has been traveling the country and talking about his plan to create jobs and strengthen our economy. On Thursday, the President spoke in front of the Brent Spence Bridge in Cincinnati, Ohio about the urgent need to fix America's infrastructure. The American Jobs Act includes a $50 billion investment in much needed infrastructure enhancements which will put people to work rebuilding America.

    On Wednesday morning, President Obama addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations. During his speech, in which he spoke about challenges that stand in the way of lasting world peace and the imperative to overcome those challenges, the President spoke about the absolute need to help foster the economic and political participation of women and girls in all countries around the world. He simply stated, “No country can realize its potential if half its population cannot reach theirs.” The President also challenged world leaders to include women and girls at every level of society. “Next year,” he said, “we should each announce the steps we are taking to break down economic and political barriers that stop women and girls from reaching their full potential.” Valerie Jarrett shared a blog on the president’s speech and commitment to women and girls. A fact sheet on the President's commitment to women and girls can be found here.

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  • At the U.N., Making the Case for Women and Girls

    Posted by Valerie Jarrett on September 22, 2011 at 5:12 PM EDT

    Yesterday morning, President Obama addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations. During his speech, which addressed topics from the change sweeping the Middle East to the challenges facing the global economy, he made sure that the world’s women and girls did not go overlooked. As he put it, “No country can realize its potential if half its population cannot reach theirs.”

    The President also challenged world leaders to include women and girls at every level of society. “Next year,” he said, “we should each announce the steps we are taking to break down economic and political barriers that stop women and girls from reaching their full potential.”

    As part of that effort, the United States signed a new Declaration on Women’s Participation earlier this week. We have also put together a factsheet that details the Obama Administration’s commitment to our country’s women and girls.

    You can view the full factsheet here.

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  • Council on Women and Girls Highlights

    Posted by Avra Siegel on September 20, 2011 at 12:13 PM EDT

    Welcome to the Council on Women and Girls Weekly Highlights! If you have friends or family who would like to support the efforts of the Council on Women and Girls, please visit our website and share this link with others on Facebook and Twitter.

    Last week was an extremely busy week here at The White House and around the country. One week after his speech to a joint session of Congress announcing the American Jobs Act, the President has sent this bill to Capitol Hill and has been traveling the country talking to Americans about what this would mean for job creation, if passed. In this week’s newsletter, you’ll find a number of tools that we hope you find helpful:

    • Fact Sheets on the American Jobs Act;
    • Invitations to Conference Calls specifically focused on women;
    • 17th Anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act - A powerful Video from Vice President Biden;
    • and Remember to update your contact information if you haven’t already!

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    Learn more about , Economy, Family, Health Care, Women

  • Improving Economic Opportunities for Women

    Posted by Valerie Jarrett on September 16, 2011 at 12:03 PM EDT

    On Wednesday, I had the honor of delivering a keynote address at the APEC “Women in the Economy” Summit in San Francisco. This group was comprised of delegates from economies around the pacific region: government officials, entrepreneurs, academics, corporate leaders, and NGOs. It was truly a privilege to be in front of such a prominent gathering of trailblazers, innovators, and leaders, all dedicated to the advancement of women.

    The Women and the Economy Summit is based around a simple, but profound, idea: when we improve opportunities for women, it will benefit our economy as a whole.

    If we are going to successfully grow our economy over both the short and long term, we must remove the barriers that still stand between women and economic success. That’s why President Obama has made empowering the world’s women and girls one of the important objectives of his Administration. I’m proud to be part of that effort, as the chair of the White House Council on Women and Girls.

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